This recording of Khovanshchina was made in Leningrad, Soviet Union, in 1946 and features the Kirov Chorus and Orchestra, Leningrad, led by conductor Boris Khaikin.
Composer Biography
Modest Mussorgsky, the composer, was born in 1839 to wealthy landowners but his family's fortune declined after the liberation of the serfs in 1861.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Mussorgsky's interest in the common people of Russia led him to compose songs that followed the inflections of their speech, an approach he developed in his operas.
Historical Context
Khovanshchina is set in 17th-century Moscow and contrasts the political machinations of the period with the religious beliefs of a sect known as the Old Believers.
Composition History
Mussorgsky's opera Khovanshchina was left unfinished at his death and was completed and orchestrated by Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov, a fellow Russian composer.
Performer Biography
Mark Reizen, who sings the role of Dosifey, was a soldier in World War I and continued to perform on stage at the Bolshoy Theatre on his ninetieth birthday.
Performer Biography
Sofya Preobrazhenskaya, who sings Marfa, was a prominent Russian mezzo-soprano who refused to leave Leningrad during the siege in 1941-42, helping to sustain morale.
